Francesco Cerritelli is chair of the COME Collaboration. Along with the board of directors members, he shapes and approves research and fund-raising strategies, advocates for the foundation’s issues, and helps set the overall direction of the organization.

Francesco has broad interests in osteopathic research, neuroscience and health science focusing on interdisciplinary aspects of evidence based medicine.
Native of Italy, Francesco earned a bachelor and master degrees in motor sciences from the University of l’Aquila, Italy. He also studied osteopathy at Accademia Italiana Osteopatia Tradizionale in Pescara, Italy, public health at Imperial College London, UK, and he is currently attending a PhD program in neuroscience at University of Chieti-Pescara, Italy.

Degree in International Relations at University of Rome La Sapienza. After graduation, she worked at the General Consulate of Italy in Philadelphia, USA. She worked for ABBOTT Medicals as General Assistant to the General Italian Country Manager of the Company. Since 2009 she worked as researcher and consultant for FORMIT Foundation for European Grants and Call for proposals. Moreover, she was responsible for the International Relations office of LUSPIO University in Rome. Since 2017 she is General Secretary at COME Collaboration Non-profit Foundation. She is in charge of event/congress organisation, administrative support, reporting and external relations.

Patrick van Dun has a private practice as an osteopath in Mechelen (Belgium) and Habichtswald (Germany).

Patrick got his MSc degree in Rehabilitation and Physical Therapy at the Catholic University Leuven, Belgium in 1989 and completed his osteopathy studies at COC, organised at the Free University of Brussels, in 1993. He is the chair and co-founder of the Commission for Osteopathic Research, Practice and Promotion vzw (CORPP).

Until recently he was a research collaborator at the Free University of Brussels, Department of Osteopathic Sciences, Research Unit in Osteopathy, Brussels, Belgium. He has been the Scientific Director of the German College for Osteopathic Medicine (GCOM), Wiesbaden (Germany) from 2000 till 2006 and Head of Research of Osteopathy, Department Clinical Medicine and Biotechnology, Danube University Krems (Austria) from 2010 till 2012.

Rafael Zegarra-Parodi DO MEd, is a practicing osteopath in Paris. Currently, he is an associate editor of the International Journal of Osteopathic Medicine and previously held a position as Research Assistant Professor between 2012-2014 at the A.T. Still Research Institute, Kirksville, USA. Rafael completed his Diploma in Osteopathy at the British College of Naturopathy and Osteopathy in London, UK (1997) and gained a Master’s degree in Education at the University of Tours, France (2008). Following this he has also completed diploma courses in Clinical Research Methodology (2009), Statistics (2010) and Epidemiology (2011) from the University of Bordeaux 2, France. As an osteopath, Rafael specializes in acute and chronic neuromusculoskeletal conditions and sport injuries and has been heavily involved in Osteopathic education and research. In 2015, Rafael has been appointed lecturer and unit leader at the British School of Osteopathy.

Jorge E. Esteves is an osteopath practicing in Dubai. He is an Honorary Professor at the University College of Osteopathy in London and an Associate Professor at Instituto Piaget in Portugal, where he is the Scientific Coordinator for the Bachelor’s degree in Osteopathy. Previously, he served as the Head of Research at the British School of Osteopathy (BSO) in London, as a non-executive council member of the UK’s General Osteopathic Council, and osteopathy subject reviewer for the United Kingdom’s Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA); he was also a Senior Lecturer in Osteopathy at Oxford Brookes University where he was instrumental in the development and implementation of the university osteopathic provision.

In 2011, Dr Esteves completed his PhD at Oxford Brookes University. His research focused on examining diagnostic palpation in osteopathy and developing neurocognitive models of expertise. Dr Esteves is interested in investigating the effects of touch and pain on body and mind, particularly, how pain affects the way in which people process their emotions; how pain affects the sense of the self; and what is the role of touch in the modulation of pain, sense of the self and emotional processing. Apart from his academic work at Institute Piaget and the University College of Osteopathy, Dr Esteves is also an Associate Editor for the International Journal for Osteopathic Medicine, member of the Board of Directors of the Collaboration for Osteopathic Medicine Research, collaborates in a number research projects and lectures and assesses at various schools worldwide.